Unemployment decreased 15,300 (2.4%) to 614,200. The number of persons looking for part-time work decreased 3,000 to 175,200 and the number of persons looking for full-time work decreased 12,300 to 439,000.

Aggregate monthly hours worked decreased 23.1 million hours to 1,593.9 million hours.

NOTES

FORTHCOMING ISSUES

ISSUE

Release Date

February 2012

8 March 2012

March 2012

12 April 2012

April 2012

10 May 2012

May 2012

7 June 2012

June 2012

12 July 2012

July 2012

9 August 2012

CHANGES THIS MONTH

Usually in January, estimates are published 32 days after the commencement of interviews. This month, estimates are published 39 days after the commencement of interviews due to operational issues. There has been no change to the standard pattern of interviewing which started on the 8th of January for a reference period, 1st of January to the 14th of January.

ROUNDING

Estimates of monthly change shown on the front cover have been calculated using unrounded estimates, and may be different from, but are more accurate than, movements obtained from the rounded estimates. The graphs on the front cover also depict unrounded estimates.

SAMPLING ERROR

The estimates in this publication are based on a sample survey. Published estimates and the movements derived from them are subject to sampling variability. Standard errors give a measure of sampling variability (see pages 34 and 35). The interval bounded by two standard errors is the 95% confidence interval, which provides a way of looking at the variability inherent in estimates. There is a 95% chance that the true value of the estimate lies within that interval.

MOVEMENTS IN SEASONALLY ADJUSTED SERIES BETWEEN DECEMBER 2011 AND JANUARY 2012

Monthly change

95% Confidence interval

Total Employment

46 300

-8 700

to

101 300

Total Unemployment

-15 300

-47 500

to

16 900

Unemployment rate

-0.1 pts

-0.3 pts

to

0.1 pts

Participation rate

0.1 pts

-0.3 pts

to

0.5 pts

INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070, email client.services@abs.gov.au or Labour Force on Canberra (02) 6252 6525, email labourforce@abs.gov.au.